Research Department Pathology

The aim was to build an agile research department in which surgical pathologists and basic researchers work closely together and share their knowledge and skills. This environment fosters translational research focused on the molecular basis of disease and allows to evaluate particular scientific challenges from different angles of expertise. In recent years, various prognostic and predictive biomarkers as well as therapeutic targets have been identified within the RDP. Additionally, new technologies have been tested, improved and adapted and subsequently transferred to the ISO certified diagnostic unit of the pathology department: For example, a lymphoma sequencing panel, developed within a research project, has become a new standard diagnostic tool for the genomic characterization of lymphomas (see publication).

The RDP combines both experimental basic and translational research, mainly focused on cancer biology and neuroscience. It comprises ten research groups, led by senior pathology consultants or full-time research group leaders, including 33 researchers (15 postdoctoral fellows, 11 (MD-)PhD students, and several undergraduate students). PhD and MD-PhD students are enrolled in the graduate programs of the Faculties of Medicine or Natural Sciences of the University of Basel. The research infrastructure of the RDP is centrally managed and provides more than 300m² of lab and office space exclusively dedicated to research. Researchers from the RDP have access to in-house research technologies, such as tissue microarrays or sequencing platforms, but also to techniques established and used in daily routine diagnostics. The RDP members are well connected with other groups within and outside the University of Basel which provides them access to methodologies not available in-house but also to additional tissue samples and expertise from other experts in the field. They contribute to various other projects outside of the RDP including clinical studies. In 2019, 152 peer-reviewed publications have been published by authors of the RDP, 50 of them constituted first or last authorships.

For more information about the RDP and the associated research groups, please contact Dr. Salvatore Piscuoglio.